Pennsylvania provides one of the more useful free statewide court-record systems in the U.S. Through the Unified Judicial System Web Portal, anyone can search public docket sheets from Criminal Courts of Common Pleas, Magisterial District Courts, Philadelphia Municipal Court and Pennsylvania appellate courts without creating an account. That free court search is not the same as a Pennsylvania State Police criminal-history background check, which is handled separately through PATCH.
What Pennsylvania criminal records can you search for free?
Pennsylvania’s Unified Judicial System provides free public access to a broad range of statewide court-case information.
Common Pleas criminal cases
Search public criminal docket sheets from Pennsylvania Courts of Common Pleas.
Magisterial District Court cases
Search criminal, traffic, non-traffic and other qualifying minor-court cases.
Philadelphia Municipal Court
Search qualifying Philadelphia Municipal Court docket information through the UJS portal.
Appellate cases
Search docket information from the Supreme, Superior and Commonwealth Courts.
PA DOC locator
Search state inmates and department-supervised individuals through the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections locator.
Official criminal-history check
Pennsylvania State Police PATCH currently charges $22 for a standard individual criminal-history check. Qualifying volunteer checks are free.
Free Pennsylvania criminal case search with the UJS Web Portal
The official Pennsylvania UJS Case Search lets the public search court information without paying a commercial search company.
Pennsylvania Courts states that the public can search and review information contained in these docket sheets as a free public service.
Public case information includes:
- Criminal Courts of Common Pleas
- Magisterial District Courts
- Philadelphia Municipal Court
- Supreme Court
- Superior Court
- Commonwealth Court
How to search Pennsylvania criminal records for free
Open the official PA UJS Case Search
Use the government court portal rather than a commercial public-record site.
Choose the correct search method
Search options vary by court but can include participant name, docket number and other supported identifiers.
Use the docket number when known
A docket number is more precise than a common-name search and helps avoid mixing records belonging to different people.
Narrow the court or county
Use court-level and county filters when available, especially for common names.
Open the docket sheet
Review charges, docket entries, court events, financial information and final disposition where available.
Confirm the outcome
Do not treat the first charge listed as the final result. Read disposition and sentencing information.
Which Pennsylvania court should you search?
| Court level | What you may find | Free online access |
|---|---|---|
| Magisterial District Court | Preliminary criminal proceedings, summary cases, traffic and other minor-court matters. | Yes, public docket information through PA UJS. |
| Philadelphia Municipal Court | Philadelphia criminal and related municipal matters within that court’s jurisdiction. | Yes, qualifying public docket information through PA UJS. |
| Court of Common Pleas | County-level criminal prosecutions, including felony and misdemeanor cases held for court. | Yes, public criminal docket sheets through PA UJS. |
| Superior / Supreme Court | Criminal appeals and higher-court proceedings. | Yes, appellate docket information. |
| Commonwealth Court | Specialized appellate and original-jurisdiction matters. | Yes, qualifying docket information. |
What a Pennsylvania criminal docket sheet can show
Pennsylvania describes a docket sheet as a detailed statement of actions and filings in a court case.
| Docket section | What it can tell you | What to remember |
|---|---|---|
| General case information | Case number, court, parties and basic case data. | Confirm you have the correct person and court. |
| Charges / offenses | Criminal accusations filed in the case. | A charge is not a conviction. |
| Calendar events | Hearings and scheduled court dates. | Recent changes may not appear instantly. |
| Docket entries | Chronological filings and court actions. | Read the full history, not just the earliest entry. |
| Disposition | How charges were ultimately resolved. | Different counts can have different outcomes. |
| Financial information | Costs, fines or payment information where publicly available. | Financial data may change as payments are made. |
Use the free PAeDocket app
Pennsylvania Courts also provides PAeDocket, a free mobile app for public case and docket searching.
The app supports searches using identifiers such as:
- case number
- participant name
- organization name
- Offense Tracking Number
- police incident or complaint number
- state identification number
This can be convenient when you already have an OTN, complaint number or case number from another court or police record.
PATCH: Pennsylvania’s official criminal-history background check
If you need an official Pennsylvania criminal-history background check rather than a court docket, use the Pennsylvania State Police PATCH service.
PA UJS docket search
Free public court-case information. Useful for researching charges, case events and dispositions.
PATCH background check
State Police search against the Pennsylvania Central Repository criminal-history database.
$22
Current Pennsylvania State Police fee for an individual criminal-history background check.
$27 total
Current standard fee plus the additional $5 notarization charge where available.
Free
Qualifying volunteer criminal-history checks are free and cannot be notarized.
What do Pennsylvania PATCH results mean?
PATCH can return several statuses.
No matching reportable record
PATCH says many “No Record” certificates are available immediately and can be printed by the requester.
Manual review needed
This does not automatically mean the person has a criminal record.
Reportable record returned
PATCH completed its review and identified reportable Pennsylvania criminal-history information.
Pennsylvania says a “Request Under Review” can take up to about two weeks to update to “No Record” or “Record.”
How to get your own complete Pennsylvania criminal-history record
A standard PATCH background check is not the same as an Individual Access and Review.
Pennsylvania State Police defines Access and Review as a review of an individual’s entire criminal record, including convictions and non-convictions.
Use Form SP 4-170
The Pennsylvania State Police currently requires Access and Review requests to be submitted by mail.
Complete the identity information
Follow the current form instructions and include the documentation required by State Police.
Include the current fee
Pennsylvania currently lists the Access and Review fee at $20.
Review conviction and non-conviction information
This process is especially useful before expungement, partial expungement, pardon or court proceedings.
Pennsylvania arrest records and police reports
Court dockets, arrest records and Pennsylvania State Police criminal-history records are different things.
Arrest or incident records may be maintained by:
- municipal police departments
- county sheriffs
- Pennsylvania State Police
- other law-enforcement agencies
If you are researching a specific arrest, identify the arresting agency first and then use that agency’s records-request procedures for information that is legally public.
Pennsylvania county jail and booking records
Pennsylvania does not operate one public statewide county-jail database covering every county jail.
County jail information is usually maintained by:
- county sheriffs
- county prison departments
- county corrections agencies
- county government inmate-search systems
For a recent booking, search the county where the person was arrested.
Free Pennsylvania state inmate and supervision search
The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections provides a free Inmate / Department Supervised Individual Locator.
Search fields currently include:
- first, middle and last name
- inmate number
- parole number
- gender
- committing county
- current location
- date of birth or approximate age
Can you search Pennsylvania warrants for free?
Pennsylvania does not provide ordinary public users with unrestricted access to the statewide warrant system. The UJS portal identifies statewide warrants as a secure service intended for authorized users.
Public warrant information is therefore usually handled locally through:
County warrant resources
Some county sheriffs publish wanted-person or active-warrant lists.
Known criminal case
A docket can sometimes show warrant-related court events in an existing criminal case.
Current status
Contact the issuing court or law-enforcement agency when warrant status must be confirmed.
How to get Pennsylvania criminal court copies
The free UJS docket is useful for research, but an agency or court may require an official or certified copy.
Trial-court copies are generally requested from the court or clerk that maintains the original case.
Paper records
Pennsylvania Courts directs users to contact the appropriate Magisterial District Court directly when requesting paper case records.
County Clerk of Courts
Contact the Clerk of Courts in the county where the criminal case was filed for certified or file-specific copies.
Why sealed, expunged or Clean Slate cases do not appear
Pennsylvania’s public Case Search does not display cases that are:
- sealed
- expunged
- classified as limited access under Clean Slate
The UJS portal explicitly says these cases are not visible to the public through Case Search.
If the missing case is your own, contact the court that handled it to confirm whether sealing, expungement or limited-access status applies.
Are Pennsylvania juvenile criminal records public?
Juvenile cases are treated differently from ordinary adult criminal cases.
Pennsylvania UJS warns that juvenile cases are among the categories that may not appear in public Case Search, even when the user enters otherwise correct search terms.
How to find older Pennsylvania criminal records
A missing older case does not necessarily mean the case never existed.
Search the UJS portal first
Try participant name, docket number and the correct court level.
Search both minor and Common Pleas courts
A criminal case can begin before a Magisterial District Judge and later continue in Common Pleas.
Gather historical identifiers
Docket number, OTN, complaint number, approximate filing year and full legal name can help.
Contact the original court
Older paper records may require a direct request to the Magisterial District Court or county Clerk of Courts.
Federal criminal records in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania’s UJS and PATCH systems are not federal criminal-record databases.
Federal criminal cases are searched through PACER.
Search federal court cases with PACERA person seeking their own nationwide FBI Identity History Summary should use the FBI’s fingerprint-based process.
Pennsylvania free criminal-record search tips
Start with PA UJS
It is the official statewide free court-docket system and should be your first stop for Pennsylvania cases.
Use the docket number
Docket numbers dramatically reduce mistaken matches involving common names.
Save the OTN
Pennsylvania’s Offense Tracking Number can help connect related criminal justice records.
Search both court levels
A case can begin at Magisterial District Court and continue in Common Pleas.
Read the disposition
A filed charge does not prove conviction and may later be withdrawn, dismissed or reduced.
Expect recent-entry lag
Pennsylvania Courts warns that newly entered filing-office information may not appear immediately.
Use PATCH for background checks
Do not substitute a public docket sheet when an official Pennsylvania criminal-history check is required.
Search jail and DOC separately
County detention and state DOC custody use different systems.
Missing case may be protected
Sealed, expunged and Clean Slate limited-access cases do not appear in public Case Search.
Can you use free Pennsylvania court records for employment screening?
Pennsylvania Courts explicitly warns that public docket-sheet information should not be used in place of a criminal-history background check from the Pennsylvania State Police.
Pennsylvania free criminal records FAQs
1. Can I search Pennsylvania criminal records online for free?
Yes. Pennsylvania’s Unified Judicial System offers free public searches of criminal court docket information from Common Pleas, Magisterial District, Philadelphia Municipal and appellate courts.
2. Do I need an account to search Pennsylvania court dockets?
No. Pennsylvania’s public docket-sheet guidance says an account is not required to view public docket sheets.
3. Is the free UJS docket search a criminal background check?
No. Pennsylvania Courts explicitly says docket sheets should not be used in place of a Pennsylvania State Police criminal-history background check.
4. How much does a Pennsylvania PATCH background check cost?
A standard individual PATCH check currently costs $22. A notarized result costs an additional $5. Qualifying volunteer checks are free.
5. What is Pennsylvania Individual Access and Review?
It is a request for an individual’s own entire Pennsylvania criminal-history record, including convictions and non-convictions. The current fee is $20 and the request is made by mail.
6. Why can’t I find a known Pennsylvania case?
It may be under another court level, not yet updated online, juvenile, sealed, expunged or limited from public access under Clean Slate.
7. Are Pennsylvania Clean Slate cases visible online?
No. Pennsylvania UJS states that cases classified as limited access under Clean Slate are not visible to the general public through Case Search.
8. Where can I search Pennsylvania state inmates for free?
Use the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections Inmate / Department Supervised Individual Locator.
9. Is there a free statewide Pennsylvania warrant search?
The statewide warrant service in the Pennsylvania UJS portal is a secure service for authorized users, not an unrestricted public search. Public warrant information is typically handled by local courts and sheriffs.
10. Does Pennsylvania’s free criminal-record search include federal cases?
No. Federal criminal cases use PACER, and Pennsylvania PATCH checks only Pennsylvania law-enforcement criminal-history records rather than federal records.
Official Pennsylvania sources used for this guide
- Pennsylvania UJS Case Search
- Pennsylvania UJS Case Information
- Pennsylvania Courts — Public Records
- Pennsylvania Courts — Court Case Information
- Pennsylvania Common Pleas Docket Sheets
- Pennsylvania State Police — Criminal History Background Check
- Pennsylvania State Police — PATCH Overview
- Pennsylvania DOC Inmate / Supervised Individual Locator
- Pennsylvania DOC — Find or Contact an Inmate
- Pennsylvania UJS — Sealed, Expunged & Clean Slate Cases
- PACER — Federal Court Cases